Essay

The most important revolution in communication technology was the Internet which arrived in 1990s. It came from being the retreat of computer experts to a mainstream medium. Eventually the internet will take its place alongside the press, television and radio as a medium of mass communication. As legions of citizens flocked on-line and dramatically increased Internet traffic, media organizations such as private, businesses and individuals quickly established a presence in the Internet. Political people also joined as well. In this essay will explore uses/limits in terms of politics and/or democracy and discuss rethinking about the nature of political because of the revolution of the new communication. Furthermore, the essay will talk about the idea of "community" in the age of networked digital media.

Government departments and agencies established their web sites to show and explain government programs and provide on-line services. Political parties and candidates launched web sites to assist campaigns (Jansen, 2001). In this rush of intervention of politics in the Internet has changed political processes from the old traditional way. The new kind of internet democracy (E-democracy) represents a new force of the communication revolution especially with democratic politicians with their own political process with local communities and countries and on the international stage (Gunter, 2006). Politicians can organize and express their views for citizens. The candidates can use political web ‘portals’ which can provide interest citizens with up-to-the minute information that is fundamentally the way citizens heard about and get involved in important issues. Equally important are some web sites which can match a voter’s views on issues with different candidates. Furthermore, the Internet may also serve a medium for voter registration and online voting and because of that suggests a greater and more active citizen participation in the democratic electoral process. Voters will be able to cast their ballots from the convenience of their home or a nearby public facility. However, there are concerns about unequal access to the Internet which emphasizes about people who have the Internet and those who cannot especially who cannot vote from home. A case for point such as those who cannot vote from home will have to go to public spaces such as Internet cafes or universities where they might allow other people at those places who can inappropriate influence over those people, in a situation which doesn’t arise in the traditional voting station (Rubin, 2000).

The new revolution in communication technology has changed political process forever especially citizens using on-line politics instead of the traditional way. It has been suggested (Bruce Bimber, Richard Davis 2003, p.4) that on-line has greater and more active citizen participation in the democratic electoral process than before. And also the Internet might rival the television and radio combined as well. But, equally important, there are concerns about unequal access to the Internet and censorship such as filtering web sites by governments. Because of this revolution we should rethink about the nature of the old political ways. For example, Ken Carty's (1988) analysis of the Canadian party systems was linked in communications technology which changed in the Canadian national party system. Like the development of radio coincided had change from a local to a regional party focus while the emergence of television helped to make Canadian politics more national and more leader-driven than before. And also this cross-border network of global places has created the formation of new types of ‘global politics of places which contest a corporate globalization. This link in this new communication with global politics shows how politics has changed forever.

On the other hand, the idea of "community" in the age of networked digital media happened as well. People in virtual communities use words on screens to exchange pleasantries and argue, engage in intellectual discourse, conduct commerce, exchange knowledge, share emotional support, make plans, brainstorm, gossip, feud, fall in love, find friends and lose them, play games, flirt, create a little high art and a lot if idle talk. Some people use virtual communities as a form of psychotherapy (Mclelland, 2007). Others, such as the most addicted players of Minitel in France or Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) on the international networks, spend eighty hours a week or more pretending they are someone else, living a life that does not exist outside a computer. Because MUDs not only are susceptible to pathologically obsessive use by some people but also create a strain on computer and communication resources, MUDding has been banned at universities such as Amherst and on the entire continent of Australia (Mclelland, 2007). Most people who get their news from conventional media have been unaware of the wildly varied assortment of new cultures that have evolved in the world's computer networks over the past ten years. Most people who have not yet used these new media remain unaware of how profoundly the social, political, and scientific experiments under way today via computer networks could change all our lives in the near future. Because of its potential influence on so many people's beliefs and perceptions, the future of the Net is connected to the future of community, democracy, education, science, and intellectual life--some of the human institutions people hold most dear, whether or not they know or care about the future of computer technology (Hersberger, Murray & Rious, 2007).

Additionally, Online communities provide this basis of staying in touch with people yet expand the limits of this far beyond your neighbor or region and these new communication technologies still carry the values of a community by involving people with shared understandings and interactive relationships (Galston, 1999). Nowadays on the internet communities are developed through common interests not proximity; “Life will be happier for the on-line individual because the people with whom one interacts most strongly will be selected more by commonality of interests and goals than by accidents of proximity” (Licklider and Taylor in Galston). The search for community has been satisfied with online interaction as it provides a basis for individualism and exploration that until now has been much harder to accomplish in daily society. "Because individuals — rather than households — are separately connected, the internet and the cell phone have transformed communication from house-to-house to person-to-person. This creates a new basis for community that author Barry Wellman has called “networked individualism”: Rather than relying on a single community for social capital, individuals often must actively seek out a variety of appropriate people and resources for different situations.” (Rainie et al, 2006). This also changes the nature of the political with more individualism created there is a need for governance online that cannot be accomplished with the concepts of true democracy at the forefront.

In conclusion, the new revolution in communication technology has changed political process forever especially citizens using on-line politics instead of the traditional way. Because of this revolution we should rethink about the nature of the old political ways. On the other hand, communication technology influences citizen’s regular life as well. People use communication technology in different areas, such, as, psychotherapy, exchange pleasantries and argue, engage in intellectual discourse, conduct commerce, exchange knowledge, share emotional support, make plans, brainstorm, gossip, feud, fall in love, find friends and lose them, play games, flirt, create a little high art and a lot if idle talk etc. the internet and the cell phone have transformed communication from house-to-house to person-to-person. This creates a new basis for community also changes the nature of the political.

Reference List

Bimber, B, & Davis, R (2003), Campaigning online: the Internet in U.S elections, Oxford University Press, New York.

Carty, R.K. (ed) (1988). Three Canadian party Systems: An interpretation of the development of national politics. In Perlin, Party Democracy in Canada: the politics of national party conventions (pp. 15-30).

Gunter, B. (2006). Advances in e-democracy: Overview. Emerald Group Publishing Limited 58(5), 361-370.

Galston, W. (1999), “Does the Internet Strengthen Community?”, Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, Maryland School of Public Affairs, accessed

Hersberger, J. , Murray, A.L. & Rioux, K.S. (2007), ‘Examing information exchange and virtual communities: an emergent framework’, Online Information Review (31) 2, 135-147.

Jansen, H (2004), 'Is the Internet Politics as usual or Democracy's Future?', The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, Vol.9.


Mclelland, M. (2007), ‘Internet domain between China & India: beyond Anglophone paradinms’, Asian Studies Review 34 (4), 387-395.

Rainie, Lee et al (2006) (John Horrigan, Barry Wellman, Jeffrey Boase), “The Strength of Internet Ties” in Communities, Social Networking (Jan 25, 2006). Pew Internet & American Life Project, accessed via
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/The-Strength-of-Internet-Ties.aspx

Rubin, A (2000), ‘Security Considerations for Remote Electronic voting over the Internet’. Viewed 30 November 2009. via
http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/fall1999/internet_community.htm

Lec 10

Today was our last lecture. Two weeks is really fast but I learnt lots of things about new communication technology. At the final lecture, teacher introduced the invisible envrinment and he summarized the whole course at the end of course. In this lecture, the idea of media ecology was introduced. For example, Marshall McLuhan claims that no envrinemnt is perceptible. The fish in a bpwl-the water is the fish's envrinment. If food colouring is put int the water-the fish sees its envrinement is a new way. If you change the mdeium it can have significatn effects on the envrironment. Another one who named Neil Psotman focus centerd mainly unpon language literacy and education whilst Marshall Macuhans son eric has continued research in this area with resarch into ancien languages. The Second part is about invisible environment, which is called the media environment as well, will become visile to us.

There are summaries about the whole lecture:
Section1: Introduction to New commnnication technologies
Section2: A selective history of computing and the internet
Section3: Social Media
Section4:vreative commons
Section5: Philosophy
Section6: video games
Section 7 & 8: Politics
Section 9: Net work Creative


Terrad old media form-radio-it enahces audio communication-it reverses face to face speach-it retrieves orration and musical perfomance and it obsolesces it makes the absolute necessity for public orration obsolete.

An new form of media-mobile phone- enhances telephony communication-reversres being incommunicable whilst away from lined connunication-it retrieves the need for vocal communication-whilst making obsolete the inability to vocally connunicate as long distances or when in a remote areas.

Lec 9

Today, our guest talked about create internet. On the lecture he introduced some useful websites. For example, Google map, you can input any address in any countries, you will find it on the map and the map connected the world together. Besides, you input someone’s name; it will show that person’s basic information. Freeware genius: is a website which reviews all the free software available on the Internet and recommends the best ones to use. 'Google wave' is the new thing in email, which combines email, chat and real-time file sharing and combines all of these together and saves everything that you've done.Creating the web can set up data quick from one web to another, such as, face book. Our guess also talked about his work. I can understand well than before by his introduction. For example his games are not intended to have specific structures, and are not supposed to all make sense, just the sense that the individual gets from it. The internet makes our life closely connected. I have to exclaim that the strong power of internet.

Lec 8 Summary

Today, the lecture talked about the personal politics and copy right. Policy is power for people because government control all things, such as tax, income and community. In the lecture, teacher also mentioned the hacker. When comes to hacker, we will think about criminal. But actual, the hackers are who exposure what is possible. Additionally, the copyright mentioned again. Copyright is people create something and publish the content to make money legally. However, with the time of sharing information’s coming, people stone other people’s work, practically in the area of music and film industries. The copyright become an issue in the Morden society.


net.art
Take a look at: digital poet Jason Nelson's SecretTechnology.com
You should explore AT LEAST THREE of his creations and write about your response to the works that you are viewing.
Think about the way you interact with the works:
How does it make you feel?
At fist I enter the screen I felt confused. I had no idea what’s that. There were so many colours, and the pictures are mass. I dislike.

What does it makes you think about?
I went to ‘two of nine’ part to play and I found there were too many worlds on the screen when I pay the game. The picture is simple but it is difficult to control .

What are the other media forms that it uses, or is similar to?
Like most game, it combines with visual and audio.

If we accept that Jason's worksre poetry - How do you "read" digital poetry like that?
It is totally different from traditional poetry. Read digital poetry like that will lost my own imagination

Lec 7 Political Possibilities

Today we have a guest who talked about the Political Possibilities.

The definition of Democracy is introduced. Democracy has both broadened and at the same time narrowed. It does not address the impact of the present period of rapid transition from an industrial to an information economy and the consequent challenge to the power of nation states by global economic and cultural processes. The increasing concentration, centralisation and commercialisation of the mass media appear to have foreclosed avenues for democratic participation in currently existing representative democracy. Deliberation and discussion are key attributes of democracy, however, the conflict between free speech and copyright continue to emerge in strange ways. In Australia we don't have the constitutional right to free speech. Only recently did the High Court find that free political expression was implied by the constitution and that was at the behest of a TV station concerned that they would revenue if political advertising was banned. Hacker has become synonymous with computer criminal. Hacking has developed beyond its anti-social and avant garde origins to incorporate any approach to any media that seeks to use hidden potentialities and anomalies in that media to open interpretation and debate. Thus the work of 'culture-jammers' in adapting bill boards to carry anti-corporate messages is a kind of a hack just as is doing similar adaptation to a corporate web site.



What opportunities can you find for political participation via the internet:How many of the following can you achieve while sticking to your political beliefs?
1. Sign an e-petition.
Signed “protect heritage” petition.

2. Respond to a professional blogger at a major news site.
http://www.bloggernews.net/123179.


3. What is Barak Obama up to today?
President Obama plans to speak to Americans via a prime-time address December 1 about new plans for the war in Afghanistan, which has now lasted about eight years.
http://blogs.america.gov/obama/2009/11/30/changes-to-afghanistan-strategy-in-store/.

4,.Find out who your local, state and federal representatives are.
"In the Australian federal system there are three levels of government: Federal, State and Local. Each level of government is centred on a body (a parliament or a council) democratically elected by the people as their representatives. Each level of government has its own responsibilities, though many responsibilities are shared in various ways." Gold Coast city Council: http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard.aspx?pid=4351standard.aspx?pid=4351Local Representatives:"Gold Coast City Council is a Local Government Council - part of the third or lowest level of government in Australia, often seen as being the most accessible to the people. Local government bodies such as Council have specific responsibilities, duties and limitations on their areas of responsibility or influence. You may have concerns involving an area of government where local Council is unable to act or advise. In these cases you may wish to contact your State or Federal government representative."http://www.qld.gov.au/government/levels-of-government.html#section-local-government-informationhttp://www.localgovernment.qld.gov.au/http://www.localgovernment.qld.gov.au/LocalGovernment/StructuralReform/Localgovernmentstaffinfo.aspxrnment.qld.gov.au/LocalGovernment/StructuralReform/Localgovernmentstaffinfo.aspxhttp://www.lgaq.asn.au/web/guest;jsessionid=696625EB4508F076BBFBD3C33DCC6721http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?pid=5785ww.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?pid=5785(http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/fs357_government_members.pdf)Federal Government Member:"The Australian Federal Government is the highest tier of Government in Australia and consists of two houses of parliament - the House of Representatives and the Senate. Members of the House of Representatives represent specific areas of their state (electorates). Decisions made by the House of Represenatatives are then reviewed in the Senate. Senators represent their state as a whole, rather than a specific electorate region - the List of Government Representatives of the Gold Coast Region is a handy reference of members of State and Federal Parliaments representing areas of Gold Coast City."Mr. Stuart Roberts MP LiberalContact details:Ph: (07) 5580 0355Fax:(07) 5580 0366Email:Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.auPh: (02) 6277 2106 (Canberra)Fax: (02) 6277 8441 (Canberra)Electorate Office Address:5 Cottonwood Place OXENFORD QLDhttp://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/contacts-federal.pdf

5. Look up the Queensland or Australian hansard to find the last time your local member spoke in parliament.Qld Parliament offers condolences to flood, bushfire victims
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/10/2487274.htm.

Lec 6 Academic Study of Video Game

Today, the topic is focus on academic study of video game.At the beginning of the lecture, teacher showed us a video about digital game. Nowadays, video is more and more popular than TV and movies because people think they can be a party of video game. A player said that she is fond of video because she can do things which she could not do in the real world. With the developing of technology, the video is tendency commercial, and it makes lots of money. Some people put the game staffs on to eBay to sell, and then some people use real money to buy them. However, produce a video game is a complicated process. It needs artist and animation staffs work together. For example, artist draws the pictures, musical produces music and then animation staffs will connect all elements and put them into computer to make the video games. In order to be accuracy and reality, the video games makers need to do more references before they establish the 3D environment. For instance, they have to look up the map to find the location and reading papers to understand the different times’ situations and create the characteristics through watching the picture or photos. Also, a video game need a good story to attract more people to joy in and this is a difficult part of game that game maker mentions. Last, people like video game because not only can they create a new society and world by themselves but also can enjoy different life in the video games.


I am going to write topic 4. I did researches and now I am going to summarise the useful paper that I am going to use in my essay.

These are journals and books that I am going to use:

Bimber, B, & Davis, R 2003, Campaigning online: the Internet in U.S elections, Oxford University Press, New York.

Carty, R.K. (ed) 1988. Three Canadian party Systems: An interpretation of the development of national politics. In Perlin, Party Democracy in Canada: the politics of national party conventions (pp. 15-30).

Gunter, B. (2006). Advances in e-democracy: Overview. Emerald Group Publishing Limited 58(5), 361-370.

Galston, William 1999, “Does the Internet Strengthen Community?”, Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, Maryland School of Public Affairs, accessed

Jansen, H 2004, 'Is the Internet Politics as usual or Democracy's Future?', The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, Vol.9.

Rainie, Lee et al 2006 (John Horrigan, Barry Wellman, Jeffrey Boase), “The Strength of Internet Ties” in Communities, Social Networking (Jan 25, 2006). Pew Internet & American Life Project, accessed viahttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/The-Strength-of-Internet-Ties.aspx

Rubin, A 2000, ‘Security Considerations for Remote Electronic voting over the Internet’. Viewed 30 November 2009. via
http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/fall1999/internet_community.htm

These researches argued that the something about the internet and politics. It also addressed the situation about the nation/state in the age of networks that have the potential to span the whole planet and the idea of "community" in the age of networked digital media. Those researches are very useful to my essay.

Lec 5 Virtual Philosophy

Today’s lecture focuses on virtual reality.

Virtual Reality is a system that enables one or more users to move and react in a computer-simulated environment. Various types of devices allow users to sense and manipulate virtual objects much as they would real objects. This natural style of interaction givesparticipants the feeling of being immersed in the simulated world. Virtual worlds are created by mathematical models and computer programs. There are some types of VR: 3D simulation on computer screen, control generally by mouse or joystick, utilizes VRML or similar program to give the sensation of moving through an environment. Due to this lecture is partial to theory, teacher shows us video to explain the virtual reality. The video is amusing; it presented a ‘real world” in the computer. For example, the popular game second life, people in the fabricate world can do exactly things just like in the real world. In that game, people can earn money, go to bar, shopping etc. and do business with the people who are from around world. Meanwhile, people can adjust their appearance they like and take adventure in the different places.





IM program is simple and easy to use compare with the 3D environment. Usually, I only use MSN to communicate with family and friends. Sometimes, I write blog or upload photos to share my life with my friends. However, 3D environment is more unique. People can choose their own appearances and personality; even they can choose their own special talents in the 3D environment. Due to people face lots of stresses from their work and life, more and more people are willing to choose 3D environment because 3D environment can help them reduce the stresses. For example, a friend of mine is infatuated with 3D environment games. He said that the 3D environment is exactly same as our real world, and you can do anything what you want or like in the virtual world. It can satisfy your desire in that world. However, 3D environment is not perfect. It wastes our time and energy. Some teenagers addictive on 3D environment, and did criminal and finally ruin their own life.